President Bush, after years of denial, has finally realized that the warming of the earth is a grave concern to everyone on the planet. His solution is voluntary compliance by all countries to reduce greenhouse emissions.

This policy of voluntary compliance is a joke. Do you think the public would obey automobile speed limits if there were no police to ensure compliance? How naïve can you get?

Many countries are calling for mandatory decreases in greenhouse emissions. Enforcement of strict regulations concerning this danger is the only practical way to save the planet. What kind of world do we want to leave future generations?

To the Editor:

There are approximately 160,000 military personnel serving in Iraq. Unknown to the average American, there are more civilian security firm serving in Iraq than military personnel.

These civilian contract workers are not subject to the laws of either the Iraqi government or our government. They are a law unto themselves. There is no punishment for these renegades when they commit a crime.

In Iraq, just as it was in Vietnam, for a government friendly to America to prevail, we must win the hearts and minds of the local population. These “cowboys” or “vigilantes” run roughshod over the Iraqi citizens. They often act in such a way as to cause the death of Iraqis. They are America’s worst enemy.

The American taxpayers pay through the nose for these out of control yahoos. With lucrative no bid contracts, often with President Bush’s cronies, the taxpayers are being ripped off for services doing more harm than good.

Bob Hamlett
9308 Sawyer Brown Road
Nashville, TN 37221

Phone: 646-6244

There are approximately 160,000 military personnel serving in Iraq. Unknown to the average American, there are more civilian security firm employees serving in Iraq than military personnel.

These civilian contract workers are not subject to the laws of either the Iraqi government or our government. They are a law unto themselves. There is no punishment for these renegades when they commit a crime.

In Iraq, just as it was in Vietnam, for a government friendly to America to prevail, we must win the hearts and minds of the local population. These “cowboys” or “vigilantes” run roughshod over the Iraqi citizens. They often act in such a way as to cause the death of Iraqis. They are America’s worst enemy.

The American taxpayers pay through the nose for these out of control yahoos. With lucrative no bid contracts, often with President Bush’s cronies, the taxpayers are being ripped off for services doing more harm than good.

Bob Hamlett
9308 Sawyer Brown Road
Nashville, TN 37221

Phone: 646-6244

There is truly a crisis in the Social Security system. Unless the law is amended, young people, when they reach retirement age, will receive reduced benefits, if any benefits at all. The reason for the crisis is obvious. Although I doubt Congress has the intestinal fortitude to take appropriate action, the solution is also obvious.

When Social Security was established 70 years ago, many people failed to live long enough to collect benefits. Today, with life expectancy approaching 80, many people receive benefits for many years.

The logical action would be to SIGNIFICANTLY increase the age at which workers can receive benefits. An exception would have to be made for people nearing retirement age since they will have based their future financial well being on current law. Young people, who have a multitude of years before thinking about retirement, would just have to adjust their rate of savings accordingly.

I believe that the only justification for war is an attack upon one’s country. This is not an attempt to justify war, terrorism or barbaric acts upon other humans. It is simply an attempt to make people realize why there will never, ever be peace in the Middle East.

At the time of World War II, the Palestinians had lived in Palestine (now Israel) for two thousand years. As a result of the holocaust, people felt justified in creating a homeland for the Jewish people. In 1948, President Truman, against the advice of all of his advisors, decided to create a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine. Partitioning conquered Germany to create a Jewish homeland there must not have occurred to President Truman.

Israel was created and the Jews flocked there. The Palestinians were summarily cast out into the desert into concentration type encampments where they remain to this day. The Muslims have long memories. Even today, in the coffee houses in the Middle East, the atrocities committed by the Christians during the Crusades a thousand years before are still recalled with disdain by the Islamic people. The Islamic people in the Middle East will forever hate both the Jews and Americans for the treatment of the Palestinians.

Israel, thanks to the U.S., is well armed and can defend itself against any attack. In fact, although the U.S. wrings its hands over the possibility of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, Israel is well stocked with nuclear weapons and would not hesitate to use them, with no outcry from our President. America will never be forgiven for its part in the treatment of the Palestinians. America should abandon the Middle East entirely. Our Presence there merely inflames a volatile situation and increases hatred, atrocities and terrorism.